CAD advice

[Izzy70]

I purchased a 1ct ACA to have set by a local jeweller as being overseas I didn’t want any return hassles for sizing the ring.
I have contacted the local jeweller with my design ideas and he has advised that the Cad, ring and setting in platinum would be approx GBP1,200.00. Whereas a regular off the shelf setting would be in the region of GBP700.00 but not in the design I like!
Is that a reasonable price for the ring?
Here is the design I like, with 6 prongs.

 

[dk168]

Take a look at the pinned thread in the Coloured Stone Section:

List of Vendors for Reference thread

There are a number of setting vendors mentioned, the majority are based outside UK.

I have been using diamondmounts of eBay since 2015 to custom-make rings for me.

The first one was for my 1.19ct EC. I did not send the stone out to them. I just gave them the dimensions from the HRD certificate, along with design inspirations/ideas, and my own personal specifications such as size of the band and ring size etc...

They charged x amount for the CAD fee that went towards the final cost of the ring setting.

The setting was then shipped to me, and I took it to a local bench that I had used for repair in the past, for the stone to be taken out of the original ring for it to be set in the new setting.

Both settings in platinum, and the stone was bezel set in both cases.

The re-setting fee was 100 GBP alone back in 2015!

Be warned that you do get what you paid for - settings may be cheaper to make in terms of labour cost, however, they may also be less solid as in less metal in the shanks by making them partly hollow towards the top and not as thick at the bottom etc...

Check first if your local bench is prepared to set your stone in a setting provided by you, as not all of them would accept this type of work.

Also check insurance and liability covers with the bench etc...

Earlier this year, I had a 1.94ct MRB set in a bangle bracelet in platinum by a bench in London. The price quoted was fair, IMHO, as it was quite heavy. There is a lot more metal compared with a ring, however, the design is minimalist, and cost less than twice what you had been quoted for your ring.

I did not ask the bench I use in China to make the bangle setting, as I wanted to try out a new bench, which worked out nicely for me.

Hope this helps.

DK

 

[Izzy70]

Take a look at the pinned thread in the Coloured Stone Section:

List of Vendors for Reference thread

There are a number of setting vendors mentioned, the majority are based outside UK.

I have been using diamondmounts of eBay since 2015 to custom-make rings for me.

The first one was for my 1.19ct EC. I did not send the stone out to them. I just gave them the dimensions from the HRD certificate, along with design inspirations/ideas, and my own personal specifications such as size of the band and ring size etc...

They charged x amount for the CAD fee that went towards the final cost of the ring setting.

The setting was then shipped to me, and I took it to a local bench that I had used for repair in the past, for the stone to be taken out of the original ring for it to be set in the new setting.

Both settings in platinum, and the stone was bezel set in both cases.

The re-setting fee was 100 GBP alone back in 2015!

Be warned that you do get what you paid for - settings may be cheaper to make in terms of labour cost, however, they may also be less solid as in less metal in the shanks by making them partly hollow towards the top and not as thick at the bottom etc...

Check first if your local bench is prepared to set your stone in a setting provided by you, as not all of them would accept this type of work.

Also check insurance and liability covers with the bench etc...

Earlier this year, I had a 1.94ct MRB set in a bangle bracelet in platinum by a bench in London. The price quoted was fair, IMHO, as it was quite heavy. There is a lot more metal compared with a ring, however, the design is minimalist, and cost less than twice what you had been quoted for your ring.

I did not ask the bench I use in China to make the bangle setting, as I wanted to try out a new bench, which worked out nicely for me.

Hope this helps.

DK

Thank you DK.
I am in Guernsey so would prefer to have the ring set here, even it they use a UK cad designer/workshop (Not sure in the correct term).
Following on from the first quote, I got a second for the same design at GBP900.00.
Both jewellers do quite a bit of redesigning old jewellery but the second one I would say does more.
I have looked at standard settings and the only one I like, not love is a 6 prong trellis setting.
Decisions ……